Newspapers Important to Democracy

We must respond to president-elect Donald Trump’s attacks on mainstream newspapers, and his dislike of press conferences because he does not like to be questioned. However, he conveys his messages on Twitter.

Newspapers have an ability to check facts that social media does not. In my view, newspapers, and all the mainstream media, have an obligation to fact check as it is part of their social compact and obligation.

Social media has the same ability; however, they only lack the obligation or, too often, even the desire to be factual. That is often the case with Trump and his Twitters.

Some on social media spread false news for fun and profit, whereas others do so out of laziness or a desire to present only views compatible or supportive of their own opinions.

Yes, we owe a debt to our journalists, called the Fourth Estate for great and significant reasons, that support our freedom.

Let’s not diminish their role by such trite terms as “lame-stream media” or forget the numbers of journalists, from the dawn of our republic, who risked and sacrificed their lives to simply tell the truth.